On Edge
by Lieutenant Caine
Summary: Sometimes stress relief can't wait.


**On Edge**

The rapid-fire clip of Calleigh's voice was the first indication he had that something was seriously wrong. His blue eyes narrowed at the obvious tension lacing her voice. For a moment he just listened, trying to detect a hint of what was bothering her. Anger, irritation, impatience, frustration with Tyler he heard clearly, but underlying all that he heard stress…pure back-to-back 12 hour shifts kind of stress. He knew exactly what she needed.

"I told you twice, I need those reports by noon, Tyler!" she barked out.

"Calleigh, it's only 9:30. I'll have them to you by noon," Tyler responded, but his words were addressed to her retreating back as the category 5 blonde hurricane stormed out of his office, heading back to her own lab.

Usually Calleigh was the picture of calm, even on the sultriest of Miami days, but today she was a veritable storm. The entire office was feeling the lashing sting of her ill temper.

Unobserved, Horatio followed her to her lab where he watched her quietly.

She shrugged into a lab coat, slit open the evidence envelopes containing the shell casings tied to their current case, and started to place one under the microscope for comparison. She dropped the small bit of metal, and Horatio heard her mutter words he seldom ever heard her use. That alone was an indicator of just how stressed she was, but he could also see physical signs. Tension vibrated up and down her slender frame. Her green eyes were stormy. Her jaw was set like iron. The fact that she was jittery enough to drop the shell casing was monumental.

Quietly he approached her.

"Calleigh," his voice was pitched low, soothing.

"What, Horatio?" she snapped, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snarl. I'm just…"

"…stressed." Horatio finished her sentence for her as he moved to stand beside her.

"How observant of you to notice." she quipped. "I can't get anything done this morning. Tyler is lagging on those reports. The striations on those bullets don't match anything we've got in IBIS. My slam dunk case is starting to fall apart…" her voice rose with each word she said.

A small grin crinkled the corners of Horatio's mouth, which only served to make her angrier.

"It's not funny. I don't know what you're grinning at." She turned her back to him and then jumped half out of her skin when she felt his hands settle at her waist and draw her back against his body.

"No, it's not funny at all, Sweetheart. It's downright sexy when you're this irritated," he growled softly as he nipped with his teeth at the side of her neck.

"Horatio…!" she gasped and tried to pull away from him. "What are you doing?"

"I can't have my ballistics expert all tense and end up shooting someone out of sheer frustration, now can I?" he purred as he easily held her against him. "You need some serious stress relief," he murmured. He turned her around in his arms and looked into her turbulent, sea-green eyes.

"God, you're so beautiful when you're angry, Calleigh, " he whispered just before his mouth descended on hers.

In an instant her anger exploded into desire and she moaned into the kiss. Her arms went around his neck and she pushed herself closer to him, thrusting her hips against his, clearly communicating what she truly needed. The kiss was rough, his mouth rocking over hers, this tongue demanding entrance. Calleigh responded in kind. Her hands began tugging at his shirt buttons, impatient to feel warm skin beneath her palms. He chuckled as he teethed his way down her neck, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from her.

"A little desperate are we, Sweetheart?" he teased.

"Stop talking, Horatio and find someplace we can have a little privacy," she growled against his lips.

"The gun vault," he said.

He quickly ushered her inside, locked the door behind them and then launched back into her again. Their kisses became more urgent, their breathing ragged. Pulses raced as hands undid and discarded clothing. He lifted her into his arms, pinned her against the wall and simply took her…deep, hard and fast. She came almost violently, shuddering and gasping his name. He was not far behind her. Horatio loosened his hold on her and gently set her down. She clung to him weakly, hands grasping his shoulders and her head resting against his chest.

"Merciful heavens," she said in a shaky voice.

He chuckled. "Feel better now?"

"Mmmm. I needed that," she admitted with a smile.

"I knew you didn't, and didn't figure it could wait until we got home. Although if your Lieutenant happens to find out you had sex in the gun vault, he might just have to put you on report."

"Oh he might, might he? Well, you just remind him the stress relief was his idea," she sassed back at him.

"Calleigh…you are incorrigible." He grinned broadly.

He handed her clothes to her and they quickly re-dressed, making sure there were no telltale signs of their lovemaking.

"Now, back to work with you my lovely bullet girl, and no more snapping people's heads off. Poor Tyler is still trying to figure out what he did wrong," Horatio gently scolded her.

She winced at that. "I know. I owe him an apology, don't I?"

"Yes, you do Sweetheart. See you when you get home. Remember, I've got court this afternoon. Who knows? I may need some stress relief when I get home."

He dropped a quick kiss on her lips, leaving her shivering in anticipation of what was to come.

Perhaps stress wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
